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Hair Transplant Redness?

Posted on March 21, 2011

All individuals who undergo a hair transplant can expect some side effects after the procedure. And while it is possible for a medical issue to arise, most of these side effects are more likely to bother the client from a cosmetic view point, meaning unwillingness to go out in public or let others see the scalp. Hair transplant redness, or in other words, that the skin on the scalp will be red after the hair transplant, is a common side effect that many clients will experience. And while this side effect is not a reason to worry, it can still be of concern to many clients in the post operative phase.

The reason why this redness occurs is because the hair transplant doctor needs to make hundreds or even thousands of tiny slits in the scalp so that hairs can be extracted and inserted as needed. These tiny slits can be compared to very small wounds, so it is completely normal for the skin to react by becoming red. Due to the fact that clients are given antibiotics before the surgery, the scalp is not likely to get infected. But if the redness seems excessive, abnormal and comes with pain, oozing and swelling it can indeed be signs of an infection and the doctor should be contacted. But a scalp that is just red is completely normal and not a reason to worry.

The main concern with the redness on the scalp that occurs after a hair transplant is, again, that it is cosmetically unpleasing. Immediately after the hair transplant the client might also have some swelling which can make the redness appear worse, but this swelling should go down in the coming days while the redness can last much longer, for several weeks or in a few cases even longer. However, for some clients the redness doesn’t last longer than a couple of days. No two cases are identical and everyone will have a unique experience.

The exact degree of redness that will follow a hair transplant is hard to predict in advance. The redness will depend on several different factors, with one being the skin complexion of the individual. Pale individuals might experience more redness that lasts longer than those with dark skin where the redness may never be noticeable. Those with sensitive and reactive skin might also have more redness than others. Healthy individuals with good healing abilities will heal faster and have less redness than others.

Luckily, the redness after a hair transplant will for most people go away after a couple of weeks and the skin will go back to its regular tone. Scarring will also fade in the coming months. But clients who are concerned about the redness being noticeable to others can apply a topical steroid, foundation or tinted lotion to the scalp or wear a hat, but these tricks and especially hats should be used as little as possible as to not restrict air and blood flow.